St. John Renewal Initiative votes are in....ALL Initiatives PASS

ST JOHN – The voters of St. John turned out to vote at roughly 20% of the registered voters in St. John Parish. ALL of the propositions that made up the St. John Renewal Initiative passed with strong support.

            The Initiative was presented to the voters in 5 propositions, which could be voted upon separately, that touched on many infrastructure needs in St. John. The propositions will be levied against existing parish property tax millages; resulting in NO new taxes.

Proposition 1   PASSED                     3,794 YES (66.38 %)  1,922 NO (33.62 %)

Proposition 2   PASSED                     3,392 YES (59.67 %)  2,293 NO (40.33 %)

Proposition 3   PASSED                     3,829 YES (68.02 %)  1,800 NO (31.98 %)

Proposition 4   PASSED                     3,762 YES (65.71 %)  1,963 NO (34.29 %)

Proposition 5   PASSED                     3,219 YES (56.36 %)  2,493 NO (43.64 %)

Proposition 1 invests $8 million on water improvements. The Lions water treatment facility in Reserve will receive a 2 million gallon per day upgrade which will provide the necessary water for the east bank for the next 15-20 years of anticipated growth. Also, the Edgard water treatment plant on the westbank will receive roughly $500,000 in necessary upgrades, equipment replacement, and structural maintenance.  Finally, the entire network of water towers and tanks (15 in total on both sides of the river) will receive the repairs necessary which total $3.4 million.

            Proposition 2 invests $ 7 million in the parish courthouse and eastbank government complex. The Edgard Courthouse will receive roughly $1,500,000 in expansion and necessary security upgrades. The remaining funding will be allocated to a consolidated eastbank government complex which would house all government agencies on the eastbank under one roof creating a 'one-stop shop' for the residents (90% of parish population) there.

            Proposition 3 invests $8 million in levee construction and drainage improvements.  $1 million will be set aside for the local funding requirement for the first phase of the Lake Pontchartrain Levee. The remaining dollars will go to major drainage canal improvements parish wide and also fix the decades old drainage problems in the St. Peter's School area, the Old Riverlands area, and the area around the St. Joan of Arc School and Persimmon Street.

            Proposition 4 invests $2 million in funding for Airline Highway traffic improvements.  The improvements will include adding a turning lane to the Airline Highway intersections at Belle Terre Blvd, Hemlock Street, and the Hwy 51 and Main Street area.

            Proposition 5 invests $2.8 million in Recreation. Roughly $700,000 will go to finishing phase 1 of the Westbank Park Complex and $2.1 million will go to construct a gym/emergency relocation point of last resort on the eastbank.

            "I am excited at the measures won the people's support. This will allow us to make much needed investments in the parish's infrastructure and prepare for future growth," said Parish Councilman-at-Large Div B Steve Lee.

            The entire $29.5 million will be raised through bonds on existing property tax millages. This will not result in new taxes on the residents of St. John. Currently, the money to do these high priced infrastructure projects is not available in the parish's annual budget and can only be realistically done using bond funding.

"We gave the people of St. John the opportunity to select which infrastructure needs were the most urgent. I am glad to see that all propositions passed and am looking forward to getting to work Monday to begin these projects," urged Parish President Bill Hubbard.

More information on the St. John Renewal Initiative is available at www.sjbparish.com/bondissue.asp .

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